Late Bloomer
by Texan Red Rose
Summary: At Yang's insistence, Atlas hosts a ceremony to celebrate the hatchlings' coming of age. However, someone's not too keen on the whole thing- and that's perfectly alright. [By Moonlight AU]


**Disclaimer:** For Elderburn Week's Family prompt. Set in the _By Moonlight_ universe, after the events of the story. An epilogue, of sorts.

* * *

Winter tried to ease her nerves, eyes roving over the unfamiliar faces packed into the throne room. It ruffled her a bit, allowing these strangers into her den- her _home_ , she corrected, trying to silence her inner wolf as much as she could. The beast that lurked just beneath her skin had long since adopted her will just as she'd accepted its presence, the two becoming one, but every now and again, they stood at odds. Winter, at least, understood the need for making concessions such as this.

Neither of them liked it, though.

"Winter, you're growling again," Blake said, soft enough so only they could hear, the twins flanking her as she held Harmony in her arms. Grace had opted to stand beside Weiss' throne as the Queen addressed their guests, welcoming the Elders of Vale to her court for the rite of passage.

"I can't help it," she replied, clearing her throat and shifting the pauldrons on her shoulders, mindful to keep the silver away from her skin. "I don't like this."

"They're not here to pass judgement." Perhaps it was her years working from the shadows or simply an intricate understanding of such traditions considering her heritage; regardless, Blake seemed about the only person in the castle sympathetic to her objections. "It's just a friendly gesture."

"They're not _my_ friends."

"But they _were_ Yang's family."

She sighed, conceding defeat again. Although their journey to Vale before to officially acquaint herself with the werewolf Elders had hit a few… rough spots, Yang still thought highly and fondly of them and insisted on adhering to the traditions she'd known growing up. Ruby, likewise, didn't see it as a big deal and had even undergone the rite herself, though in a… peculiar manner that brought laughs from the others whenever it came up in conversation. She'd yet to hear the details, of course, but they'd been rather busy, what with forging Atlas anew, dealing with a dragon's pregnancy, and then trying to raise the hatchlings alongside their much smaller and less flame resistant cousins. Winter at least had an enhanced healing rate and a resilience to everything but silver to protect her from her children's errant trials with their dragon fire; Grace and the others decidedly didn't.

Truly, she didn't mind the idea of the rite itself. _That_ part, she actually looked forward to, if she allowed herself to ignore the rest.

However, she didn't hold the Elders in the same regard as her beloved did, and she didn't need or want their presence for the momentous occasion. Even if they saw her as a member of _their_ pack purely due to the blood in her veins, she didn't quite reciprocate that.

"How is it I went the majority of my life barely able to trust my own family and now I'm surrounded by a family I don't even want?" She grumbled, fighting to keep her arms at her sides. If she crossed them now, it would give into the restless energy running through her, and then she'd start pacing, and then she'd start baring her teeth, and _then_ -

"Believe it or not, that's actually how family works." Blake chuckled. "You'll learn to love them."

"I greatly doubt that." Any further discussion of her frustration would have to be put on hold as the guests of honor arrived, trailing behind their Momma as they usually did.

Yang, for her part, looked absolutely ecstatic, enough of her dragon magic coming out to make her hair glow and eyes shine, a smile on her lips that could easily eclipse both as she strode ahead of the four hatchlings in her human form. Zephyr lead, as she often did, with Zise nipping at her heels and trying to catch the little furry tip of her sister's tail while Zach looked around at every new face and wagged his tail. Zajah brought up the rear, pausing to scratch behind one ear with her hindleg before catching up to her siblings, the sounds of claws and paws against the stone becoming rather common place around the castle.

Then, the hatchlings caught sight of their Mom and immediately abandoned any pretense at behaving to rush over towards her, Zephyr aided by her wings while the others merely glided as best they could; something about the combination of dragon and werewolf physiology made it a bit more difficult for them to get the hang of the short flights the way their eldest sibling had, but they all managed to make it to her at roughly the same time as she knelt down. Only through practice did she manage to keep her balance, considering their sizes.

In the past three years, their little ones had grown considerably- and in different ways. Zephyr had gotten longer, inheriting the serpentine body Yang's dragon form possessed, and from tail to nose stood almost as tall as Winter did, which Taiyang had assured was about right. Zise and Zach, on the other hand, got wider, with the former often pressing herself low to the ground to hunt while the latter used his weight to barrel into anything in his path. Zajah, interestingly enough, seemed to keep the proportions of a werewolf, looking almost like a winged canine- though one whose head nearly came up to Winter's waist.

And not _one_ of them assembled in the room had any idea what bearing- if any- it would all have on their human forms.

"Now now, children, behave," she said, a smile on her lips as the four of them tried to lick her face, a canine habit they'd all picked up. Frankly, she didn't mind- especially since it seemed like only Zajah had an adverse reaction to silver, and just a rash at that- but they _did_ have the main event ahead of them. As much as she disliked the circumstances, she looked forward to seeing what forms her children would take. " _Behave_."

It didn't constitute a tradition by werewolf standards- none had ever been born in their wolf form- but the Elders had watched over hatchlings during the time when dragons were hunted and feared all over Remnant. Seeing as a dragon's magic wouldn't be strong enough to shift forms until after they'd grown enough to make their first kill, the Elders determined the rite would come then, and mark the transition from hatchling to juvenile dragon, which lined up neatly with the rite werewolves under went after making their first kill in their wolf forms.

Eventually, the little ones settled down- though Blake did have to quietly tell Licht to stop trying to grab Zach's tail- and Yang came to stand beside Winter, pressing a kiss against her cheek. "So… how close are you to chasing everyone out?"

"A bit further than before you walked in," she replied, trying to sound more playful than dead serious. "I don't like this."

"You've never been a fan of the spectacle." Her mate chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist. "And you're not happy that Junior's here."

"Should I be?"

"He wasn't _actually_ hitting on me last time, you know that."

"I also know that you're faithful and there's no reason for me to be concerned; that doesn't mean I have to tolerate it." Winter's eyes flicked to the man in question, the newest addition to the Elder council. Flanked by his cousins as usual, he at least maintained a respectable distance from her to prevent any incidents… otherwise known as being as far away as physically possible from Winter. "I know it's important to you, Sundrop, but this is _not_ how I wanted to experience this."

"I know." Another kiss pressed against her temple. "Thank you for doing this."

Her restlessness calmed some hearing those words. It truly meant a lot to her mate that they do this her way, so Winter just had to set aside her personal misgivings for the moment. Besides, a dozen extra eyes to bear witness didn't exactly constitute a terrible thing. "So, how should we do this?"

"Shift." Yang blinked, eyes turning red. "Both of us. It'll be easier for them to understand."

"Very well." She took a few steps away as her body began to change, smoothly transitioning between her forms. In the blink of an eye, she'd shifted, padding around until she could nose her children, greeting them again. " _You're all behaving very well."_

 _"We're really trying, Mom!"_ Zach wagged his tail. " _We're being good!"_

 _"Yeah, you are."_ Yang chuckled, her much larger form encouraging others to move. The Elders shifted as well, while everyone who had no second form to take either pressed against the sides of the room or took their proper place on the dais. Weiss, Blake, their children, James, Healer Goodwitch, Willow, Ruby, and Taiyang- their pack, to Winter's mind. " _Now, remember what we talked about? How it's almost time for you to take your other form?"_ All four nodded. " _Well, it's that time."_

 _"Can I go first, Momma?"_ Zephyr's wings twitched, a sign of her excitement. " _Please?"_

" _Let me go first!"_ Zise set her forepaws on Zephyr's shoulder, pushing her sister down. " _I can do it!"_

Winter couldn't help the wolfish smile curling her lips. Between the two, there existed a healthy bout of sibling rivalry; Zephyr enjoyed the praise from a job well done while Zise constantly sought new challenges to overcome. This just happened to be the sort of thing _both_ would rather be first to accomplish, something they'd already discussed at length when Yang first brought up the rite.

" _Now, children, this isn't a competition."_ Winter gathered her haunches beneath her and sat down, still towering over their little ones but not nearly as much as Yang did as her head bent down towards them. " _We'll shift together, from one form to the next."_

 _"We'll be right here."_ Yang nosed Zise off her sister. " _Just watch us after your Grandpa Tai gives the signal."_

The man in question, who happened to be overseeing the rite, stepped up beside Weiss and took over the proceedings from there. Winter acknowledged, in the back of her mind, that she should've probably been paying attention to the speeches and so forth but she… _really_ didn't care for the whole thing nearly as much as her mate did, the dragon's gaze paying rapt attention to Taiyang's speech.

From what little she paid attention, Winter surmised that having some manner of blood relative to those undergoing the rite factored heavily into the ceremony, but Taiyang hadn't been an honorary member of the pack during Yang's rite. The werewolves who'd adopted her and trained her- those whose pelts she still wore- had administered her rite all those years ago. Yang still didn't talk about them much, hardly sharing their names over the years, but Winter learned a bit more about her mate through the stories about them and understood that they constituted not only the dragon's first real friends in a world that would've seen her dead rather than alive but the supportive parents she desperately wanted.

If nothing else, the whole rite carried on their memory, which constituted the only real reason Winter had relented to the request in the first place.

" _Hey, Snowdrift…"_ She looked up, noting the dragon opted to keep their conversation private. " _Thank you for this."_

 _"You don't have to thank me,"_ she replied, raising up on her hindlegs to press her nose against the bottom of Yang's chin. " _I know this is important to you."_

A bit of guilt nipped at her heart and she forced herself to pay attention to the rite.

"-and so, it's time to get to the main event." Taiyang turned towards the family with a wide smile on his lips. "Where those recently blooded from their first hunt take the next step towards adulthood." He spread his hands. "Now, hatchlings, it's time for you to walk your parents' trail and claim your spots among the pack. Take your other forms now."

Now given the appropriate signal, Winter closed her eyes again and changed back to her human form, opening them to find Yang standing beside her. Then, the room filled with blasts of heat and cold, exploding outwards from the children as their dragon magic surged to promote their change, accompanied by the occasional snapping of bone.

Instantly, she knelt down, realizing she couldn't reach out and touch her children but trying to provide them comfort all the same with the sound of her voice. She remembered keenly the confusion and disorientation of changing forms for the first time and wouldn't wish it on anyone, least of all her precious pups. "Don't be afraid; we're right here. Just listen to the sound of my voice."

Cool blue flames engulfed Zephyr and Zise, the two changing in tandem until they stood on shaking legs, arms pinwheeling through the air as they tried to find a new balance on two legs. Winter's arms went out, giving them something solid to hold onto as their magic ceased its glow, revealing two little girls just bigger than toddlers, both with pure white hair and blue eyes, though a shade closer to purple than was typical for Schnees. They also had the tanned skin that Yang and her father shared and where Zephyr looked like she might grow up to be tall and lean like her Mom, Zise already had the beginnings of her Momma's build, with wider shoulders and a stronger grip in her tiny fingers.

Weiss and Blake handed her two blankets- new ones, crafted in the traditional Atlesian way with a few flourishes from Menagerie and the symbol of the Vale Elders to make them appropriate for the ceremony- that she used to wrap around her daughters. They no longer had scales or fur to protect them from the biting chill in the night air and getting them acclimated to clothes would be a trial in itself.

Meanwhile, Yang wrapped up Zach in a blanket, smiling at his mop of messy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He looked a spitting image of his grandpa Tai. And Zajah…

… oh, Zajah…

"Sundrop," she said softly, nodding towards their third daughter. When Yang looked over, her shoulders fell a little, expression pinching into one of concern. Unlike her brother and sisters, Zajah still stood in her wolfdragon form, wings tucked in close to her sides and ears drooping to the sides, eyes shut tight and tail between her legs. Picking up Zephyr and Zise, Winter took a step closer and knelt down, softening her voice. "Zajah, sweetheart, what's wrong? You didn't shift."

Zajah whined, not yet able to project her voice into a recognizable language, but her distress came across quite clearly all the same.

"Zajah?" Zephyr and Zise began to squirm, unaccustomed to not understanding their sister. "Mom, what's wrong?"

"Is she okay?"

"It'll be fine," she replied, setting her daughters down and ushering them to their Momma so she could change back to her werewolf form. Although the constant switching drained her a bit, Winter had much more pressing matters at hand, and she lowered herself down to the floor to seem less imposing. " _Zajah, I'm right here. Tell Mom what's wrong."_

 _"I don't wanna shift."_ Her daughter curled in tighter on herself. " _I like this form."_

Winter tilted her head.

"Snowdrift?"

" _She likes the form she has."_ Her head tilted the other way. " _She doesn't want to shift."_ A smile curled her lips. " _And I don't think we should make her."_

Slowly, Zajah uncurled and opened her eyes, blinking at her Mom. " _… really?"_

 _"Absolutely."_ Winter nodded. " _I spent most of my life trying to fit a mold I didn't choose for myself. I see no reason to inflict that upon you, little one."_

For a moment, Yang seemed conflicted, before kneeling down and running a hand over Zajah's head. "Your Mom's right. This isn't the world I grew up in, either; you'll be safe in the castle no matter what form you take."

"She'll be safe in _Atlas,_ "Weiss said, turning to nod at Taiyang. "I believe that concludes the ceremony?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess it does." He laughed, turning back towards the crowd. "May I present the four newest members- welcome to our pack."

Cheers and applause went up but Winter paid it all no mind, focusing on how her daughters interacted, Zephyr and Zise both watching Zajah with troubled expressions.

"Mom?" Their firstborn turned towards her, the beginning of tears in her eyes. "How come I can hear you but not Zajah? Why can't I hear her?"

" _Because, little one, the way you've been communicating in that form is very difficult to properly hear in your current one. You're not as attuned to it and Zajah doesn't know how to project her voice to make it easier; it's something I had to learn as well."_ She licked her daughters' faces, calming their distress even as Zajah moved to nestle between her forepaws. _"But there's no reason to fret. Your Momma will teach you, just like she taught me. Soon, you four will be back up to your usual tricks."_

"Your Mom is right." Yang knelt down, setting Zach on his feet- who then immediately proceeded to throw himself onto Zajah. With a fond little chuckle, she picked him up. "But, there's a lot about these forms that you don't know. Like, for one? You're a lot more vulnerable. You don't have scales to protect you or fur to keep you warm."

Zise frowned, crossed her arms over her chest, and proceeded to pout. " _Why_ did we have to change then?"

" _There will be times when your new form will be better."_ Winter turned her head and nosed her grumpy daughter. " _And it's part of who you are, no matter how often you take it. I spent most of my life in a form like that. It's not_ all _bad."_

"It's also the only way any of you are going to learn how to use silverware… that is actually made of iron." Yang chuckled, smiling wide. "Now, c'mon. That's enough stiff formal events for one day. Let's go see if there's any clothes you'd like to wear." She rubbed at the back of her neck. "Can't just let you run around naked for a year."

"But that's-"

" _Dad,_ no." She shot a look at Taiyang. "Don't- don't bring that up again."

Seeing her opportunity, Winter sprang to her paws, wagging her tail furiously to draw their children's attention away from the prospect of following in their Momma's footsteps entirely. " _You know what else you can do in this form? Ride on my back."_

"Mom, we _could_ do that before." Zephyr pointed out.

" _Like this?"_ A wolfish grin. " _Climb on and try it."_

Although skeptical, three of her children climbed onto her back with their blankets wrapped around them, Zajah watching curiously from beside her. Then, she launched into a gentle lope, both ears flicked back to listen to their squeals of surprise and delight. She could hear the scrapes of Zajah's claws against the tile as she followed behind and the heavy tread of Yang's boots bringing up the rear and keeping an eye on the four children.

Frankly, being away from the crowd of Elders already did wonders to improve Winter's mood, though some little voice in the back of her mind warned that she'd need to talk to Yang. It probably upset her that Zajah didn't want to follow through with changing to her other form, or at the very least that she didn't want to do so during the rite. Now, she knew her mate, and could tell by her scent and demeanor that it didn't perturb her _too_ much, but it still needed to be addressed.

By the time they reached the large living space at the back of the castle- which had several smaller rooms added on along the sides, to accommodate their human forms- she'd hammered out a tentative plan of action in her head. Winter laid down and allowed her children to climb off, switching back to help usher them into their new rooms. Encouraging them to try some of the clothes laid out took the better part of an hour but they ultimately settled on suitable choices, Zephyr opting for a dress in a style like Aunt Weiss, Zise going for short trousers and a simple shirt, and Zach preferring a military styled suit complete with cape.

As the three tried to get used to the concept of walking around with fabric constantly shifting against their newly sensitive skin, Winter and Yang retreated to a safe distance, watching the spectacle and Zajah curiously prodding at her siblings' new trappings.

"How are you feeling?" She watched her mate closely. "The ceremony… didn't go quite as planned."

"Yeah, that's one way of putting it." Yang laughed, reaching up to scrub at her eyes. "But I think it went pretty well, ya know. Better than mine."

"Sundrop." Winter wrapped her arms around her love, carefully running her hands through golden tresses. "Talk to me. What's troubling you?"

"It's not- heh, I'm not upset." She returned the embrace, always so gentle with the metal of her prosthetic. "It's what you told Zajah, about being forced into a mold. For me, the rite… taking my human form was the first time I could be around my Dad without worrying I'd hurt him on accident. Before that, he always had to be careful, wear enchanted clothing, flinch because I couldn't really control my fire." Lilac eyes filled with tears. "It was a chance to really join my family, not just the ones who'd adopted me. But… that didn't happen for our kids, because we've been with them since the beginning. Right beside them, through the singed fur and tarnished scales, and Weiss and Blake and Ruby, their cousins- I had the experience my Dad didn't have, so they didn't feel like they _had_ to change." She sighed, gaze lingering on Zajah. "If she never wants to change, I'd be okay with that… because she'll never be alone even if she doesn't. By the time she's old enough to go out into the world on her own, she'll have all the control she needs, and people who won't run screaming when she's around." Winter cupped her cheek and wiped away the tears. "She doesn't have to change to fit in; she already does. I didn't think about that before."

A soft smile came to her lips. "I think that's what makes you a great mother. The hardships you've endured paved the way; your actions have changed the world so your children won't have those experiences themselves. But it does mean there's new, unexplored territory to traverse, and this won't be the last time we're surprised by them."

"Good thing I've got you around to keep me grounded." Yang turned her head, pulling her into a watery kiss. "Love you, Snowdrift."

"I love you too, my precious Sundrop." Winter nuzzled her cheek against the top of her mate's head. She couldn't begin to guess what other trials may await them further down the line, what mischief their children might get up to or what unique challenges their unorthodox biology might present, but she could be certain of one thing: they were a family, a pack, first and foremost. As long as they remained loyal to one another, they could survive anything. "But… I do wonder… when are the Elders leaving?"

Yang laughed. "You _really_ don't like Junior still, huh?"

"To be clear, I don't like anyone who tries to touch my mate without her permission. _He_ just earned the dubious honor of being the first to find that out." Her nose scrunched up. "And I don't like the way his two little minions keep staring at me."

"Cousins-"

"Point still stands."

"They'll probably leave out tomorrow morning, especially if you keep growling at them whenever they enter the room." Yang pulled back enough to sneak another kiss before their children came running up to them- some mastering the ability better than others as Winter had to rush forward to keep Zise from falling face first into the tile- complaining of being hungry. Which, they'd expected; shifting forms could work up quite the appetite. "I guess we can stop by the kitchen for a quick snack. But _no_ spoiling dinner. There's supposed to be a feast- and all _five_ of you can wipe that look off your faces."

"I didn't have a look." Winter objected lightly, bending down to scoop up the three children in their human forms, settling Zach on her shoulders and Zephyr and Zise in each arm.

"Sure you didn't," her mate replied, picking up Zajah's much larger and heavier form, letting her rest against her back so that a canine face could peek out over one shoulder. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah!" Three little voices chorused while Zajah barked.

"Then let's go." Winter lead the way, laughing as Zach started playing with her bun- something his paws couldn't quite accomplish but his fingers could. Zephyr and Zise seemed to pick up on their newfound dexterity as well, pulling at the buttons on her coat and the attached sash, and she couldn't help but be both grateful and hopeful for what lay ahead of them.

She needed nothing aside from her pack, her family.

No matter what trial they faced.

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Author's Note: Yes, I'm a little late on EB week this year but the Elderburnin' Server's helping me out.


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